Serving communities across continents

Serving his community has given Mushtaq Wahidy, DDS ’28 purpose and strength throughout his life. Today, it’s shaping his career aspirations and his dental school experience.

Born in central Afghanistan, Wahidy moved to the capitol city of Kabul at age seven for better educational opportunities. Even in the capitol, some opportunities were lacking. “In Kabul, access to dental care was a privilege,” he recalled.

From a young age, Wahidy focused on doing what he could to improve opportunities for young people. In the ninth grade, he established his own nonprofit organization, “Youth’s Mirror,” supporting children and enabling them to pursue their education while also supporting their families. In addition to teaching these children to read and write, Wahidy and his volunteers brought 300 children to healthcare professionals.

That experience showed Wahidy the impact a dentist can have on a child. One particular experience sticks with him, of a child asking to go back to the dentist the next day because of how positive his experience was. “Those are the things that made me consider becoming a dentist,” Wahidy reflected. “Seeing that dentistry can have such an impact on people’s lives.”

Wahidy moved to Minnesota to further his education, first attending high school in St. Paul before attending Gustavus Adolphus College, where he shadowed dentists and doctors—including several dentists who graduated from the University of Minnesota. During his undergraduate experience, Wahidy also attended Discover Dental School at the School of Dentistry.

“The best part of that experience was talking to current students, getting their perspective on dentistry and why they chose the University of Minnesota,” he reflected. Wahidy ultimately chose the School of Dentistry based on his experiences at Discover Dental School, the perspective he gained from shadowing alumni and the knowledge that the school embraces community care with Outreach and volunteer opportunities. 

“I want to pursue dentistry and work in community clinics, where I can support new immigrants who are not accustomed to dental care in the United States,” he explained. “I realized that the community around the University of Minnesota is very diverse, and I hope to have the opportunity to work in some of the clinics in and around the University myself.”

Once Wahidy realized dentistry was the right path forward for him, he didn’t stop doing everything he could to serve his community. As an undergraduate, he secured a Davis Project for Peace grant to establish a library, encouraging young people in Afghanistan to continue their education. After graduation, he took a position with the Afghan Cultural Society of Minnesota, where he served as a youth coach, coaching lead and program manager for social services—supporting new Afghan community members in each role.

Volunteering and giving back to his community has always been important to Wahidy, and it will continue to be important as he moves throughout school with the goal of impacting community health. His previous volunteer experiences will also prepare Wahidy for success in school and beyond.

“Volunteering helped me learn to connect with different types of people and talk with them easily,” he shared. “That will help me as I get to know my new classmates and work with new patients. And my leadership experiences will be very beneficial throughout dental school and once I graduate, when I’m tasked with leading a team for excellent care.”

As he embarks on the journey of dental school, Wahidy looks forward to getting to know his classmates, and “learning to be flexible in the ever-changing field of dentistry.” But no matter what the future holds, one thing will remain constant: Wahidy will find ways to serve his community, and lead others along the way.